Search Results for: blog keeping god at a distance

Keeping God at a Distance.

Are you ever guilty of trying to keep God at a distance? Let’s look and learn from the Israelites. Exodus 20:18-26 1. The Israelites saw the lightning and the mountain in smoke. They saw evidence of the power of God before them and heard the thunder and the trumpet. It made them afraid for their lives. They sought to keep God at a distance, frightened of a closer relationship. They did not want God to speak directly to them but wanted Moses to act as intermediary. Do you ever want to keep God at a distance? Are you content to … Continue reading →

Not So Wild Cats in the Neighborhood

At the cats-only boarding facility, we keep an eye out for abandoned or feral cats. Leftover food from the guests is set out twice a day for our “regulars”. We even do our best to catch, spay or neuter, and find homes for the feral cats who hang out behind the building. But those aren’t the only abandoned kitties I deal with. There’s a sizable abandoned cat population at the apartment complex where I live. There are two in particular who live and hang out right by my door: a pair of mostly black kitties. One is extremely friendly; the … Continue reading →

Connected to the Source

Are you unconnected to the source of life? Jesus reminds us in the parable of the vine that God’s aim for our lives is that we bear fruit. The only way this can happen is if we are connected to the main part of the vine. Left to run wild though, it will not bear fruit properly either. The vine needs to be pruned so it will bear more fruit, verse 2. Although we are made clean by the Word and by believing in Jesus that is not enough for us to have a fruitful productive Christian life, verse 3. … Continue reading →

Do We Really Want to Know?

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The problem is not that people can never know God’s will and know God’s character, more often it is that we don’t really want to know. We don’t want to know, because we’re afraid it may require some response from us. That’s why many people claim to believe in God. But when it comes to putting their trust in Jesus and letting Him be Lord of their lives they baulk. The bible tells us if we want to know what the character of God is like, then we need to look at Jesus because Jesus and the Father are one, … Continue reading →

Do We Really Want to Know?

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The problem is not that people can never know God’s will and know God’s character, more often it is that we don’t really want to know. We don’t want to know, because we’re afraid it may require some response from us. That’s why many people claim to believe in God. But when it comes to putting their trust in Jesus and letting Him be Lord of their lives they baulk. The bible tells us if we want to know what the character of God is like, then we need to look at Jesus because Jesus and the Father are one, … Continue reading →

Scripture Study – 1 Nephi 16:10-19

Nephi and his family have been camped a short distance from Jerusalem while they took care of the remainder of their business with the city. Now with the brass plates and with new brides, they are ready to head out into the wilderness, never to look back. The first morning of their new lives, a discovery is made. 10. And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. … Continue reading →

Ready, steady, Go

About 80 Santas riding pushbikes left Vincentia last night to ride to Huskisson. The reason for all the red and white gentlemen and a few lady Santas was the annual Santa ride which first happened in 2005. The bike ride was the idea of Brenda van Heuzen and has grown a lot in the past couple of years. The cycling Santas pay $10 to enter the ride with all money raised for the Santa ride going towards the Huskisson Fire Brigade. Bush fires are a summer hazard in Australia that occurs in NSW not only in the Blue Mountains but … Continue reading →

Misconceptions

Ideas held for years can turn out to be wrong. Parents and what they taught us can be wrong, as I discovered this week. All the time I was growing up, I always knew a plant most people call Agapanthus, as Star of Bethlehem. That’s what my mother told me it was. Since she was an avid gardener, I never doubted what she said was true. Then, recently while reading Playing with Water, a story of a garden, the author mentioned this Star of Bethlehem. (Ornithogalum umbellatum.) From her description it sounded nothing like the plant I knew. Curious, I … Continue reading →

The Same Seed But Various Responses

People respond to God’s Word in different ways. In Mark 4:1-20 Jesus tells a parable that highlights those differences. Take stock and decide which one of the following is most like you. 1. The people listening heard the words but despite Jesus’ admonition to listen, they did not listen to what he was saying. It was a case of hearing the words but the meaning went over their heads, verse 3. The words had no effect on their lives. Are you one who lets God’s words go over your head? Or do you take notice and really listen to what … Continue reading →

True Friends

How important are the friends we make? Friends can shape our lives to a certain extent. During formative years friends are particularly important as children can so easily be led astray by peer pressure and the wrong kind of friends. When we were houseparents to a group of boys, we had one boy in our family who tended to be heavily influenced by the company he kept. To a certain extent I suspect it can be true of all of us. You can tell a lot about a person by his or her friends. As the Spanish novelist Miguel de … Continue reading →